Fullerenes are molecular carbon allotropes in the form of a hollow sphere or ellipsoid with different numbers of carbon atoms. The most prevalent fullerene is C60, also known as buckyball since it resembles the shape of a soccer ball. Different numbers of carbon atoms are also possible, such as C70, C76, C84. They are all fascinating carbon nanostructures that are not only aesthetically appealing but also have outstanding structural, magnetic, superconducting, electrochemical, and photochemical properties with great potential in both biological applications and material science. However, the poor compatibility of pristine fullerenes with other materials severely limits their derivatization and utilization. Despite the diverse routes to functionalize fullerenes, only a few are highly efficient and specific. This is especially the case for polymers. The often unavoidable multiple-addition and the  reactive nature of fullerene to various reaction intermediates always leads to a mixture of unfunctionalized fullerene, homopolymer, mono-, and multi-adducts, which, unlike small molecules, are often difficult to purify. Moreover, the reduced chain end reactivity in polymers (such as azides) sometimes requires drastic reaction conditions (high temperature, long time, etc.), which could lead to potential polymer backbone degradation. Also, some derivatives are unstable either by themselves (eg. retro D-A reaction) or with singlet oxygen generated by fullerene core (eg. azafulleroid). All of these issues can complicate the study of the physics of fullerene polymers. Therefore, it is of great interest to develop a general method for the efficient preparation of fullerene materials.
Heretofore, some fulleryne compounds have been prepared by “Click” reactions which are known to the literature and to the art. An example of such a compound is set forth in Chart 1 and Scheme 1 wherein Fulleryne01 is produced from fullerene C60. Fulleryne01 can undergo “click” reactions with azide-functionalized materials as shown in Scheme 1.
Chart 1. Chemical Structure of [60]Fullerene (C60) and Fulleryne01.


As apparent from Scheme 1, while Fulleryne01 can be produced by Steglich esterification, the yield thereof is very low, such as about 17 wt. percent.